The Domain Wall
by tardis358
Summary: Set directly after Episode VIII. A domain wall is a gradual reorientation of individual moments across a finite distance. In other words, using force to bring peace. A balance, if you will. Ben Solo and Rey need to find that balance or neither will survive. Meanwhile, the last Jedi emerges to set his own wrongs right and wash away years of guilt. Rating may change to M later.
1. Chapter 1

I've written short stories, long stories, essays, and even some atrocious poetry, but never fan fiction. This is new for me, so please be patient and give me ALL of the constructive criticism. My favorite fan fiction has always been what is conceivable in the universe and in character (Sherlock fanfic _Full House_ , I'm looking at you), but with a healthy dose of fan service (the fan being me in this case) so that's what I hope to do. If my characters make choices that don't make sense relative to what we've seen in the movies, please let me know. Obviously over time they'll evolve and start making choices that wouldn't be made now, but that's in the future.

A couple things before I start (at least one of which could be controversial):

1) I didn't like a lot of what was done in the Last Jedi, especially given Carrie Fisher's death and the practical obstacles they now face while respecting her memory (which means not animating her... Do you hear me, Disney?). However, I'm not making any major changes, just additions if you will. For example, clarifying Ben/Kylo's motives which may be at odds with what the writers thought his motives were. So I'm not changing anything (Luke is still gone, sorry), but I will add when it makes sense and is needed to support my own story.

2) No Rose. Sorry, but her character was boring and underdeveloped and she deserved better. There's nothing to work with and since I don't want to essentially create a new character it's easier for me to leave her out.

3) The extended universe is gone, guys, so if I contradict a bunch of that I'm not worried. I don't know most of it anyway.

4) I will, however, be using a fan theory from The Revenge of the Sith that is definitely not canon. Have fun guessing which one ;)

5) If I do things with the Force you think shouldn't happen, I want a reason. Every movie expands on what can be done with the Force, but I'm not an expert in the Star Wars universe so if it's blatantly wrong let me know.

So that was more than a couple but I'm new to Star Wars and this so... let's get cracking.

* * *

The last Jedi felt Luke slip away; he felt peace...acceptance...even joy. He hadn't felt Luke's presence for many years, but he'd always known he wasn't gone, only hiding. Now he was gone, and a single tear trailed down the man's leathered cheek. He'd never met Luke, but as he watched the young man grow in the Force and influence the fate of the galaxy, he began to view him as a son. Someone who had done what he failed to do so many years ago.

The old Jedi painfully stood from the half-rotten log outside the door of his cottage. He sat there every morning, and had for many years. In the beginning, the log had been whole and sound, but the humid atmosphere of the forest had eaten away at it just as his failure had eaten away at his soul. He'd seen the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. It had been largely his fault. The signs had all been there but his arrogance blinded him. He had hidden, walked away from the Jedi Order, and justified it by saying he was not worthy to bear the title anymore. He had stayed silent when young Luke Skywalker emerged and trained under Yoda. He did not reveal himself when Obi Wan fell, nor when he felt Yoda's death. There was always someone else to do what needed to be done. Now there was no one. He was not worthy of the name Jedi, but he would have to take it.

He opened the door and ducked into the cottage, his metallic hand scraping on the metal latch. He was no longer a large man, shrunken by age and a hard life, but the house had belonged to a humanoid race that was significantly shorter than his own. Inside, an outdated Q-49T protocol droid reclined lifelessly against the wall. Without access to new parts, the droid had slowly rusted away, and the old Jedi had been truly alone for the last few years. There was no reason not to take it apart and reuse the pieces, but he felt sentimental. His self-imposed exile had been lonely, and the Q-49T had an unusually sharp wit for such an old droid. Before the Republic collapsed, Anakin Skywalker had worked on it, and the Jedi often wondered if the boy had altered some of the original hardware.

"Well, Q," he said softly, knowing there would be no response, "It's finally time to go. There's no one left to do what I should have done long ago."

Saying the words out loud brought a finality to his decision. He stood and surveyed the room. A single bed with worn blankets took up much of the space. A small stove that often sputtered black smoke from the damp wood was next to it, and a sink with running water was by the door. Running water was the one luxury he had here, but he often had to use the Force to draw it out at more than a trickle. The wooden floor was worn to a polish in spots, and rotted through in others. There were no windows, but the Jedi had long ago mastered moving sightless in the dark. Solitude had drawn him closer to the Force, even as he tried to escape the duties it pressed on him.

There was nothing to take but his lightsaber, always clipped to his belt, and a sack of food that he picked up from the bed. He did not have the strength to carry Q, and could not float him into the nearest town using the Force. Until he found who he was looking for, it was important no one knew he could use the Force. Q would have to stay.

The old man stepped from the cottage into the warm dampness of the forest. He latched the door as if he were making his usual trip to town for supplies and would return before dark, yet he felt he would never return. Wherever this journey took him, it would be his last. He surveyed the expanse of mossy carpet, a bright jewel green, and the soft light that filtered through thick layers of branches above. He felt water drip from leaves and soak into the ground to aid in the destruction of the roots of the very tree it had fallen from, continuing the cycle of life and death. He felt the pulsating Force of millions of creatures existing in the same forest, in the same cycle. But beyond it all he felt a beacon of Light, a girl so strong with the Force it equaled the darkness he felt from Vader's grandson.

Yet, he often caught glimpses of Darkness in her Light. It was woven through it, not subdued by it, and not trying to drown the other out. Coexisting. He saw the reverse in Vader's heir, Darkness shot through with Light, as if tendrils of ivy had grown through it and around it. Years ago he would have viewed the girl as weak and the boy as a threat, now he was older and wiser. Had he not walked the line between Light and Dark more successfully than any Jedi before him? True, he had always been a Jedi, never really giving in to the lure of the Sith, but he had been close to the fulcrum, always so close to tipping the scale.

He second-guessed himself. Maybe he _had_ been weak. Maybe his balancing act had been his undoing. He shook off the thought. It didn't matter so much now. Yoda and Obi Wan had been gone for a long time, and now Luke was gone. The girl could not be trained by Ren; she would give in to the Dark Side. He would have to take up the mantle of Jedi one last time to set things right. It was about time he stopped avoiding his duty. He followed the path to town, never once looking back.

* * *

Probably not where you expected me to begin, but I like stories that begin in an unexpected (and hopefully interesting) way. Q-49T is a droid I completely made up. I have homework, so I didn't want to spend an hour researching Star Wars droids. Don't worry, I'll get to Rey and Ben soon enough. Most chapters won't focus on this character, but he is really important to the plot. What do you guys think? What do you like? Not like? I know the pacing was slow; I wanted some background on this character since he isn't in TFA or TLJ.


	2. Chapter 2

Rey sat cross-legged in the smuggling hatch, relishing the rare moment of solitude. The Resistance had stayed low for weeks as they planned their next move and avoided the First Order. For some reason, Ben hadn't doggedly hunted them down. Maybe the First Order was worse off than they realized after the destruction of theSupremacy, or maybe there was hope for Ben even now. _Ren_ , she cursed herself. _Not Ben._ Rey forced hope for him from her mind and turned her thoughts back to the present.

She had survived on her own for years on Jakku. Solitude was her way of life, and the relatively few occasions she interacted with others had been less than heart-warming. Now she was constantly surrounded by people, and always the same ones. She couldn't melt into a crowd; they knew each other too intimately now. At times it drove her mad. She loved Finn and adored Leia, and friendship had blossomed between her and Poe and Kaydel, but she couldn't cope with them all the time, and where they weren't, a porg never failed to show up. There was one with her even now, as she stared intently at the broken lightsaber in front of her.

The porg eyed the cracked Kyber crystal. The crew had figured out very quickly they had an eye for shiny objects, but couldn't bear to kill them. They had seen so much death so quickly. It felt wrong to add to it. Nonetheless, Rey gave the little creature a threatening look and shooed it away from the crystal. Ben's – no, Ren's – lightsaber had an imperfect crystal. That much she had learned from Luke when she told him about its crackling edges and untamed energy. This crystal wasn't cracked, though. It was split in two. She probably couldn't even assemble a lightsaber from a whole crystal, let alone this broken wreck, but it probably wouldn't help if an avaricious porg stashed it away somewhere.

With a soft sigh she buried her head in her hands and closed her eyes. The _Falcon_ 's engine hummed softly and bootsteps echoed throughout her hiding place. Voices rose and fell. She focused on each noise, distinguishing Finn's heavy trooper clomp from Poe's light pilot's feet and the quiet tap of Chewie's claws on the metal grating when he shifted his weight. She was so intent on every sound that she almost yelped in shock when utter silence fell over her like a blanket. A stifling, unwelcome blanket. _No_ , Rey thought, _This isn't supposed to happen._ She spoke quietly, knowing the others could still hear her. "Why is this happening if Snoke is dead?"

Kylo sat across from her, his legs also crossed. He must have been meditating. He studied her for a moment, his face cold and unsurprised. "I don't know."

"Great," she spat. "Can you at least end it?"

He ignored her bitter outburst and looked down at her feet. "You can't fix that lightsaber."

Rey glared. "You can't even build one properly." She paused and a horrified look crept onto her face. "Can you see what's around me?"

Kylo met her eyes. "No. Not really, at least. It's more as if I'm... borrowing some of your senses. I can sense Luke's lightsaber, but can't see it. I can tell you're on that wretched ship though." His lip curled as he said it.

Rey took a moment to decide he was telling the truth. She didn't know if she could tell truth from lies through their bond but she believed him. He hadn't lied to her yet, at any rate. The fact he could tell more about her surroundings than before still worried her, but she didn't know how to shut it off. Maybe if she concentrated she could sense where he was as well. She tentatively reached across their bond, tiptoeing across like a tightrope walker, hoping the reverberations of her mental steps didn't alert him to what she was doing. "I can feel your mind," Kylo said, and something halfway between a smirk and a smile made his lip twitch upwards for a moment.

Rey figured there was no reason to turn back now, so she pushed against his side of the bond with all her strength and was surprised when she broke through. Kylo was right. She couldn't see through his eyes. She was still in full possession of her own senses and watching him sit across from her, the broken lightsaber directly between them. But she could catch snatches of other things, noises mostly. The powerful hum of massive engines, the thump of Stormtroopers' footfalls, and Ben's quiet breathing.

Then she felt his mind press on hers and she hastily broke away, throwing up every defense she could. The connection didn't break but their minds were wholly their own again. She felt her breathing intensify as she prepared for a mental onslaught, but none came. Kylo coolly observed her. "Interesting. It seems as if this happens when our defenses our down, and the further down they are, the more we can see of each other."

He stretched out a hand toward the saber. "I wonder if the physical bond extends to anything besides each other."

Rey acted. If a drop in her defenses let him in, then throwing them up might block the connection. She threw up the mental walls she'd practiced since her interrogation on Starkiller base, then forced them outwards. The bond wavered and severed and Kylo was gone. But when she looked down at the saber it rocked gently as if pulled toward where Kylo had been, then released. _Kriffing hell_ , she thought, _I need to control this._

She noticed the noises of daily life, such as it was, on the _Falcon_ had returned and momentarily she heard Kaydel kneel by the grate above her and call out. "Rey? Are you down there? General Organa wants everyone in the cargo bay. She says there might be good news."

Rey gently lifted the heavy grating with the Force and pulled herself out before setting it back in place. Kaydel watched her with a mixture of admiration and envy. "I wish I could do that."

"It's not all fun," Rey answered. " You're not the one everyone's expecting to face down the First Order and restore the Republic."

"I suppose not, but you aren't doing it alone," Kaydel answered. "We're all with you until the end, whether it's good or bad."

Rey smiled warmly at her friend. Quarters had been tight, and she needed her solitude when she could get it, but she would never trade anything for her newfound friends. Part of her knew it was an attempt to fill the aching loneliness of years on Jakku, but it wasn't only that. Her pull to Kylo was partly his understanding of her. He accepted her and valued her and he could fill the gaping hole in her life. Yet she'd resisted, refusing his hand and his offer and returning to the Resistance. Ben Solo could have been a good friend, but Kylo Ren could never be.

The women made their way to the cargo bay, where the rest of the crew crowded around Leia. "Ah, there you are," she smiled. "We've received a response to our call."

Poe, always overeager, interrupted. "Who is it?"

Leia fixed him with a mock glare. "I was getting there Commander Dameron. Now, if I may finish..." She let the silence drag out to make her pint clear, then resumed. "It's an unexpected response, and one I don't entirely trust, but it may be something and I think we should explore it. The message came from Irol, a largely undeveloped Outer Rim planet. The man who sent it claims to be a Jedi from the Republic."

She let the sounds of disbelief crescendo and fade.

"Another Jedi, and from the Republic? Impossible."

"Any Jedi from the Republic would have to be ancient. Wouldn't they have fought with the Rebellion?"

"Could it be Luke?"

Leia's heart wrenched painfully. "No, it can't be Luke." She locked eyes with Rey and gained strength from her steady gaze. "Rey and I both felt him... depart. But it is possible another Jedi lives. I don't know why they remained hidden all this time, but we have so few options I think it's worth the risk."

The crew was silent. She saw their misgivings written on their faces and felt their doubt faintly through the Force. Then Poe, always faithful, spoke. "If you believe there's a chance, so do I."

Chewie roared in agreement. Finn and Kaydel followed suit. BB8 and R2 beeped in a manner that could only be described as positive. C-3PO looked doubtful but remained silent. Only Rey hadn't spoken. Leia looked at her, a question written on her face. "Alright," she said. "If there's a chance he is a Jedi, we need to take it. I didn't learn enough from Luke. I can't even build a lightsaber."

Leia released a breath she hadn't known she held and smiled. "That's that then. He says he is taking a light spacecraft off Irol but it's range is limited and he doesn't want to seek attention by boarding a larger craft. We need a rendezvous point."

"Jakku," Rey said, hardly thinking about it.

"Jakku?" Finn exclaimed. "Are you sure?"

"It's Outer Rim, it's near Irol, it's isolated and unpopulated, and I know it like the back of my hand," Rey countered.

"Are you sure Ren won't track you there?" Leia asked.

Rey paused. "I don't think he'd expect me to go back there. He..." She stopped before revealing how much he knew about her after so little time. He knew her better than Finn, for Force's sake. "No," she said resolutely, "He won't expect it, but..." She trailed off again. Kylo could sense more of her surroundings now. If he broke through at the wrong moment he could know she was on Jakku. She couldn't dispel that threat, but she should at least tell Leia. "I need to tell you something. In private."

* * *

So Rey's going to tell Leia about the connection. This part was harder than the last because I'm not great at dialogue. Hopefully it didn't seem too stiff or out-of-character. I try to imagine the characters speaking the lines when I proof-read, and if I can hear it in my head I usually consider it good, but maybe my imagination is hyperactive :) Also, it would've made more sense to have the meeting in the common room but I already put Rey in the smuggling compartment so it would've been a little weird to just pop up like "Hi guys, how's it going."

I promise there'll be some real action soon as I get the plot moving. I'm doing this on the fly and letting the story go where it feels like it should and I feel like I've laid the groundwork to really get into it. We should drop in on Kylo/Ben soon but I haven't entirely decided which direction I want to take him yet.


	3. Chapter 3

"Say it again," Leia said, her fierce gaze piercing through Rey.

"We have a...connection. A bond. It was formed by Snoke and I thought it was gone but just now we saw each other. It's only grown stronger and I don't know if I can cut it off again. It seems to have a mind of its own."

Leia didn't speak. Her face was a carefully arranged mask. A part of her wondered if there was still hope for Ben through this connection to Rey, but most of her was worried. He'd killed Han, and although they'd learned he hadn't directly killed Luke, he had certainly tried. His connection to Rey could be dangerous, but she didn't even consider banishing the young woman. They were all in this together. She chose her words carefully. "We need you Rey, and in many ways I've come to regard you as a daughter, but..." She raised a hand to silence Rey as the girl smiled and tried to speak, "This bond is dangerous. I love Ben, but I don't trust Kylo for an instant."

"Do you want me to leave?" Rey asked. Her fear of being abandoned surged and Leia felt it's tug faintly through the Force.

"Force no," the general said firmly, "I think this Jedi, if he is one, is your best hope of controlling it. But I do want you to be on your guard. If the connection forms, go somewhere where he can't learn anything. I'll make excuses for you if necessary."

Rey smiled gratefully at Leia. "Thank you. I'll do my best. I don't want this any more than you."

Leia fixed her with a knowing look. "Rey, I may never have been trained in the Force but I know a lie when I hear one."

Rey blushed and looked down, not answering. Leia sighed and took the younger woman's hand. "Rey, during the years of peace after the Rebellion and the fall of the Empire, I spent a lot of time studying galactic history, especially the Sith and the Jedi. Often the two clash, but it's not unheard of for there to be attraction as well. I loathe the Sith with all my heart, but Luke was right; the Jedi aren't perfect either. Some believe the two sides should coexist, or even that there aren't sides to the Force and it doesn't need balanced so much as united. I don't know what's true but your compassion toward Ben is not a wrong thing to have."

"And if it's more than compassion?" Rey spoke hesitantly, quietly.

Leia sighed. "Then just be careful. The Dark Side has a strong pull on many. Some successfully walked the line, never quite giving in, but most were seduced by it."

Rey nodded. In that moment Finn peered around the corner. "We're nearly to Jakku. Poe says we're setting down near the wreck of an Empire Star Destroyer where the contact said he'd be. We'll scan the area for a trap, then go in if it's clear."

"Send Rey in if it's clear," Leia said.

Finn paused and sent a worried glance toward Rey. "She doesn't even have a lightsaber."

Leia smiled grimly. "She's the most capable of handling herself on this ship and she has the best chance of telling if this man is a Jedi or not. Besides, I'll send Chewie with her. That damn bowcaster will send just about anything flying."

As Poe piloted the _Falcon_ across the wreck, Rey and Chewie found goggles and cloth to wind over their nose and mouth. Rey burst out laughing at the Wookie. "You look ridiculous."

He roared back at her.

"I look fine. I don't look like a walking carpet with bug eyes." Rey shot back, stifling a giggle.

Chewie grumpily brushed an inquisitive porg off his bowcaster and slung it across his back. The _Falcon_ bumped down and Poe arrived in the common room with the rest of the crew. "It's all clear as far as I can tell. There's a Lambda class shuttle nearby. I assume that's our man."

"Lambda class?" Kaydel asked. "That's an Empire shuttle."

"Exactly," Poe answered. "Most have been re-purposed as civilian ships. The First Order uses very few and only on backwater planets."

"Like this one?" Leia asked.

"Possibly. But like I said, we didn't see anything else."

Finn hugged Rey. "Be careful."

"Of course," she hugged him tightly, then Leia and the others. She gave BB8 a pat on his metal dome. "Keep the ship ready if anything goes wrong."

She and Chewie walked out of the common room, down the ramp, and into a wall of heat. "Kriff," Rey grumbled. "I'm not used to this anymore." She surveyed to barren landscape stretching miles away from them. Nima outpost was less than an hour by speeder but it might as well have been on the other side of the planet by the look of things. She turned toward the shuttle nestled in the shadow of the Star Destroyer. "Let's go."

They warily trudged toward the dark and silent shuttle. Rey carefully reached out with her mind, lightly brushing through it. _Odd, there's nothing there_. _But if he's a Jedi he could be hiding._ Panic seized her. _A Sith could do the same_. Then she felt a presence emerging from the Star Destroyer to her left. "Chewie, look out!" She yelled and pivoted to face the threat. A figure in a brown hooded robe was moving toward her, arm upraised. She felt herself lifted off the ground and flung backward. In the corner of her vision she saw the same happen to Chewie. Then the figure forced its way into her mind before she could block him and sifted through her memories. They were recent ones, shallow and easy to grab, but dangerous nonetheless in the wrong hands. Rey rallied and flung him out of her mind and back physically as she pushed through the Force. The figure didn't fly backward as she had, but it wavered and its hood fell back. Rey stopped in surprise. The figure was a man, and a very old one. He had a grandfatherly look: stern, yet kind. His dark skin was soft and wrinkled with age and he was half a head shorter than Rey. Only his eyes belied the power and dignity beneath his frail exterior. Then she gathered herself for another attack. "Wait!" the man spoke. His voice was powerful, a man once used to giving commands and being obeyed. "I had to be sure."

Rey paused. "Sure of what?" She was still tensed, ready to strike.

"Sure you're the one I 'm looking for and that you haven't turned to the Dark Side. I'm sure now."

Rey wasn't reassured and responded a little sarcastically. "That's fantastic for you, but we don't know who you are. How do we know we can trust you?"

"You can look into my mind," he said. "I'll let you in."

Rey thought about it. He might try to burrow further into her mind, like she had done to Kylo when he interrogated her, but he had just been there. He already knew what was most important. Besides, she could always shove him out again. "Alright."

Chewie gave a quiet roar in protest and Rey glanced back at him. He was still on the desert floor, pinned by the stranger. "Let him up," she demanded. "If I'm going to be focusing on this I'd like my Wookie free, thank you."

The man chuckled and his invisible hold on Chewie released. The Wookie scrambled up and trained his bowcaster on the man, staying with Rey as she slowly advanced. When she was only a few paces away, out of the reach of the lightsaber she now saw fixed to his belt, Rey came to a stop and extended her mind, brushing up against his defenses. He was powerful, she could immediately tell. Not as powerful as Kylo, but certainly better trained and controlled. That kind of power might be even more lethal than Kylo's indiscriminate rages.

His defenses seemed impenetrable and she was about to withdraw when they dropped and she practically fell into his memories. Images flashed through her mind nearly as fast as she could process them. No memories of parents, only training with other younglings as a Jedi. Growing up at the height of Jedi power and joining the Council as it bolstered the Republic. Constantly walking the line near the Dark Side, but never embracing it. Seeing others try the same and fail, seduced by Darkness. Then the young Skywalker, the nobody with no father but potential beyond anything they'd ever seen. Palpatine's betrayal and the birth of Vader and falling, falling, falling...but he'd lived. He'd spent years alone, convinced he could do nothing and always someone else stepped forward to do what he should have. First Obi Wan, then Yoda, then Luke. But now they were all gone and there was no one to train this young woman, so immensely powerful in the Force, their last hope in the face of the First Order and Kylo Ren. So he'd left Irol and flown to Jakku and here she was. Pulsing with Light and power like nothing he'd ever seen, yet woven through with Dark. There was potential for great good, and great evil.

Rey withdrew, breathing heavily, her mind racing. "You were a Jedi. You were on the Council when the Republic fell. Why did you hide all this time?"

The man smiled bitterly. "I failed the Republic. I didn't deserve the title of Jedi and so I gave it all up and hid. I was a coward, I see that now, but the past can't be changed. I can only go forward."

"What's your name?" Rey asked. She'd seen his life, but somehow he'd shielded his identity. She didn't know Republic history well enough to discern who he was through context, either. When he didn't answer, she asked again. "What is your name?"

Then she felt the bond pull tight and she dove for the Star Destroyer, letting fly a curse that made Chewie blush. "Don't follow me!" She yelled, hoping they'd listen to her. If this Jedi could actually help her, the last thing they needed was Kylo knowing. She dove into the depths of the Imperial ship through a ragged hole just as Kylo materialized before her and threw up her defenses as best as possible. "It's not really a good time for me," she said casually, trying to throw him off.

"I have an Order to command, it's never a good time for me," he said dryly.

"I'm so sorry," she sniped, "If only you hadn't taken so much responsibility on yourself. It's almost as if you could have walked away from it."

"I chose to leave the past behind," he said, still infuriatingly calm.

"No, you didn't. You're more chained to it than I am. The entire First Order is you not letting go!"

Kylo lost a little of his composure. "I'm destroying my past."

"And how's that gone for you? Snoke saw that Han's death was tearing you apart. And now I see that Luke's death is only making it worse!"

"I didn't kill Luke!" Kylo finally snapped and yelled back.

"But you would have. You tried. It's the same as if you did and I can still feel your conflict." Rey looked into his eyes. "It's like you're screaming in pain, but I'm the only one who can hear it."

He stilled. Reached past her and touched the jagged metal of the Imperial ship. Rey nearly flinched away but held still, his arm dangerously near her own. "I can feel something. Metal. Hot metal." He knelt and brushed the ground. "Sand." His eyes narrowed. "You're on Jakku. Why?"

Without thinking, Rey kicked him where he knelt before her on the sand. As his head snapped back she felt the bond severe and sprinted toward the _Falcon_. "Get on the ship! Now!" Chewie and the man followed her. She had no idea what they thought of what they'd seen and heard but all that mattered now was getting far, far away. The shifting sands slid under her feet and made running difficult but she'd grown up here. She knew this planet and she knew how to survive and she sure as hell knew how to run on sand. She reached the ship before the other two and raced up the ramp. "Take off as soon as they're on board!" She yelled toward the cockpit where Poe's head peered down the hallway. "Kylo knows we're here!"

His head vanished into the cockpit and she heard switches flipping as he barked orders to Kaydel. Leia emerged. "How does he know?"

Rey shook her head. "I'll explain later. Right now we need to get out of here before they can get any sort of a lock on us and track us."

Moments later Chewie pounded up the ramp with the old Jedi close behind. "Buckle in," Poe yelled, and they scrambled to find seats before the _Falcon_ accelerated into space and set a course for far away. As the ship entered hyperspeed and the crew calmed, Rey explained what had happened to Leia. This time she hid nothing from the crew. Her connection with Kylo had put them in danger and they deserved to know. As she finished, Poe simply asked, "But who is he?"

They all turned to the Jedi. In the moment of danger they had all taken a risk and let him onboard. Only Rey knew he could be trusted. He still had to earn their confidence. He smiled and unclipped the lightsaber from his belt. Advancing before he Leia he knelt and extended the saber to her. She took it and with a flick of her thumb ignited the blade.

In the violet glow he looked up and smiled. "Mace Windu, your Highness. I'm very sorry I didn't come earlier."


	4. Chapter 4

Maybe the reveal in the last chapter was completely unsurprising, but I tried to keep it mysterious while giving away enough to keep it interesting. Obviously the purple saber is a dead giveaway so I didn't bring it up until Mace Windu said his name. Also, Windu is totally alive. Samuel Jackson and George Lucas say he is, and you don't argue with Samuel L. Jackson. You may have noticed I'm using titles of SW movies for my chapter titles. That started on accident but if it works I'll keep doing it (The Force Awakens would be good if I do a chapter with a sex scene ;) so would Revenge of the Sith for that matter if it got a little... rough). Kylo seems like the type of person to search for cracks in someone else's armor when they find them in his. Offense is his best defense. That's why he figures out where Rey is when she hits too close to home.

Kylo Ren reeled backward and nearly landed on the cold floor of his room, catching himself with the Force at the last moment. He gently settled onto the floor and propped himself up on one elbow, touching his split lip with his free hand. His gloved hand was coated with blood when he drew it away. His teeth ached from smashing together. He felt anger surge in him and he sprang up, igniting his lightsaber and preparing to destroy whatever was handy. He slashed wildly and a chair split in two, sparks flying. The table was next, and soon the wall was scored with glowing gashes. _Damn her._ First she'd refused his offer, clinging to her past and the doomed Resistance, now she'd kicked him in the face as he knelt before her. He'd merely deduced where she was. He had no intention of hunting her down. _Does she really fear me that much?_ The thought was painful to him and he brushed it aside. He was late to a briefing and he'd show up with a split lip, but he still had responsibilities.

Snoke had left much of the banality of the First Order to Hux, but he had commanded Hux's allegiance. Kylo did not. Worse, Hux had grudging loyalty from the lower generals, and Kylo did not. So he attended every briefing, every meeting, and kept an eye out for conspirators from any sector, but especially Hux. It was exhausting. Kylo was a warrior; he was not cut out for strategy, or distribution, or financial planning. Hux was the planner, Kylo was the doer. He had no other option though, so he sat through yet another boring meeting, thinking only of Rey.

His offer had been sincere. The Resistance wanted her only for her power, he was sure of it. The traitor FN-2187 followed her like a cur, not for friendship, only for protection. His own mother had always been advantageous. Leia was Force sensitive; she would feel Rey's power and affinity for the Light Side and know she was the tool the Resistance needed. She was nothing to them, but not to him. He desired her at his side for what she was; powerful, yes, but pure and strong. She wasn't tainted by Jedi or Sith teachings. She could carve out her own path, and he with her. But she had refused, clinging to the past, then had the gall to turn around and accuse him of doing it. He should be hunting her down, and the rest of the Resistance with her. Kylo angrily touched his split lip.

"Supreme Leader Ren," Hux's nasal voice broke through his thoughts, "What do you think is the best course of action?"

Kylo snapped upright and rapidly scanned the images and figure in the holo-projection. He needed to seem capable and confident. The First Order was brokering an alliance with a few planets who had been loyal to the Republic. Their demands were steep, but not as steep as they cost of forcefully subduing them. "Accept their offer, but demand we have a police presence equal to their own. For now we want to work with them, not against them."

Hux grudgingly nodded. The First Order's resources were depleted after the disaster of the _Supremacy_ and cooperation was a better course than outright war. The meeting adjourned and Kylo swiftly returned to his quarters. He stripped his gloves and outer robes and fell onto the bed, drifting into an uneasy sleep.

He dreamed the same thing he had for weeks. His father's shock and pain in the red glow of Kylo's lightsaber, his uncle baiting him into a lethal blow, knowing Ren would regret it, and the bitterest pill of all: _Her_. Rejecting his hand. He had been convinced she would take it, that they could both be free of Snoke, of the Resistance, of the past. When they fought side-by-side, he had felt hope for the first time in a very long time. As he offered a place at his side, he had believed she would take it. She hadn't and when he woke he felt only betrayal and anger. When he saw his uncle, all the old feelings returned, but now he blamed Luke for Rey's rejection. He'd poisoned her mind like he had all the other young Jedi, the ones Kylo had slaughtered. They'd been tricked into believing in the Jedi Order; brainwashed. Then his mind shifted from the past to something he'd never seen before. Rey. Screaming in pain, her belly distended and knees bent. The wail of a child. He stood transfixed as Rey took the child from a faceless nurse and held it to her breast. _Ben_ , she whispered, and collapsed, her head lolling back sickeningly. Kylo rushed to her side. Somehow the child and the nurse were gone. He cradled her in his arms, knowing with a sickening dread that she was gone. Those soft eyes were cold and unseeing; the sweet mouth slack; already the warmth was fading from her body. _No. No no no._ He threw his head back and screamed, clutching her broken body to him.

Ben shot up with a jolt. Sweat soaked his robe and dampened the sheets. His heart pounded as he fought to rid himself of the overwhelming despair. It wasn't a vision ,just a dream. _Just a dream._ He repeated it again and again like a mantra, willing himself to believe it. A horrible thought occurred to him. _What if..._ He instinctively reached out for her in the Force and without knowing how their bond snapped into place. She was asleep. He could not see where and he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was the peaceful rise and fall of her body as she breathed. He reached out to her. He needed to feel that her skin was still warm, to see that her mouth could still smile or yell obscenities at him, that those eyes could still plead with him to – those eyes. They _were_ looking at him. Rey had awoken quietly. She looked sleepily at him, softly and unguardedly. "Ben..."

"Rey."

Impulsively he gathered her in his arms and clung to her. For the briefest instant she melted into him, warmth and light and acceptance, then it was gone. He felt her stiffen and pull away. The anger returned and her walls flew up as she became more awake. "Kylo."

He sighed. Getting her to call him Ben, although originally an annoyance, was now a significant victory. Ben was someone she cared about and could save; Kylo was her sworn enemy. "Are you alone?"

"For once, yes. What's wrong with you?"

He couldn't see himself but he imagined what she saw. A split lip, drenched in sweat, wild hair, and wilder eyes. "Well, you did kick me in the face."

"I didn't know it would work," she said defensively. "And you figured out where I was. I had to protect everyone."

Ben sighed. "I have bigger problems right now. I wasn't going to chase you down."

She looked at him skeptically. "Bigger problems meaning what? And me kicking you doesn't explain the sweat or the hair."

He answered the easier question first. "Hux is not loyal to me. He knows you couldn't have taken down the entire Praetorian Guard, Snoke, and myself. He's a vicious fool, but not a complete idiot. I can't trust him, but disposing of him would lead to mutiny."

"And the hair?" Rey doggedly asked.

 _What the hell. What could it hurt?_ "I had a dream. A vision. I don't know. It's difficult to tell them apart sometimes." He paused and met her eyes. "It was about you."

Curiosity and trepidation rolled off her in waves. "About me, Ben?"

 _Ben_ , he thought, _A step in the right direction_. "You were in labor. You had a child. You...died. I couldn't do anything and you were gone and-" He broke off and looked away. He couldn't admit that in that moment he would have given the First Order, his own life, even the entire galaxy, to bring her back.

"Ben." Her slender, calloused hand cradled his cheek and he jerked his eyes up to hers. It was the same look she'd given him in the hut when they first touched, in the lift as she pleaded with him to return to the Light, and in the throne room as she begged him to save the Resistance and himself. Every time something had happened: Luke, Snoke, himself. Ben felt something break inside him. "You're right."

"What?"

"You're right. I didn't kill Luke but I might as well have. I wanted to. Every time I'm drawn further into the Dark, some part of me feels like it's tearing away. I'm losing part of myself to become what I'm meant to be."

She considered this. "Maybe it's not what you were meant to be."

"Rey," he let out an exasperated breath, "I am not a Jedi. The Dark calls to me. Even if it's destroying me, I am not meant to be anywhere else."

"And I am not a Jedi." She kept her eyes on his, but her look was no longer soft, it was determined. "I've been reading the ancient texts. I took them from Ahch-to. There is a lot I can learn from them, but I could never practice what they lay out."

"Then join me."

She scoffed, but it was softened by the warmth of her hand still on his cheek. He leaned into it. Rey smiled but her voice was sad. "I can never be at the side of Kylo Ren. I am not a Jedi, but the Light still calls to me. I can walk the line without succumbing to temptation. I can channel darker emotions without letting them control me."

"How do you know this?" he asked. "It's been hours since I last saw you and you sound like a padawan under... Mace Windu." His eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. "That's why you were on Jakku! I'd heard stories. No one ever found the body after Vader and Darth Sidious defeated him but I never really believed he was alive. He would have interfered earlier. Why now?"

He noticed her hand was gone from his face and its absence left him cold. Her gaze had hardened as well. "Who's Mace Windu?"

"You're a bad liar, Rey from Jakku."

She turned away. "Rey, please..." he tentatively touched her shoulder but she jerked away. "Please believe me, I can never come to the Light but I have no desire to destroy you. The First Order, however, wants your head. I can only rein Hux in for so long. Don't train under Windu. Lay low on some Outer Rim planet and stay safe."

She didn't respond and he sighed heavily. The bond was fading. Before it was gone he bent over her. "I can't protect you forever."


	5. Chapter 5

"The Vaapad is a creature from Sarapin. It is tentacled, and the older and fiercer it is, the more tentacles it has. Due to their vicious nature and unusually rapid reflexes, it is often difficult to count the tentacles until the Vaapad is dead. In Sarapin's more primitive days, tribes would hunt down Vaapad. The more tentacles it had, the more honor the warrior or tribe received. It was the basis of their societal status, and now it is the basis of Form VII, the last of the Jedi forms of combat."

Mace Windu slowly circled Rey, his shuffling steps kicking up dust and straw from the barn floor. The doors were thrown open, and through them was a golden and green panorama of farmland underneath a cloudless blue dome. They'd taken refuge on Kintoni, yet another Outer Rim planet with New Republic sympathies. It had been terraformed into an agriworld during the Old Republic, and had reached relative prosperity for an Outer Rim world. The abandoned barn belonged to a farmer who'd had a brother in the Resistance. Letting them stay here was his form of revenge.

Windu continued in his circle, unclipping his saber. "Form VII, Vaapad, is the most aggressive of the Jedi forms. Some go so far as to call it a Sith form. It relies on speed, aggression, and taking joy in the fight. You have to _want_ victory. You are always on the attack. The Force will be behind every move, making it the most physically demanding. Defense is minimal, leaving you open to Force attacks, so you must have your defenses up and monitor your opponent's intent." He ignited his blade and began moving. The slow weave accelerated until it became a constant blur, as if if a violet shield had sprung up before him.

Just as quickly he stopped and quenched the lightsaber. He held it out to Rey who took it cautiously. "Show me how you fight."

She stepped back and ignited the lightsaber. Recalling Ahch-to, she began a series of movements, one flowing seamlessly into the next.

"Stop."

She looked at Windu, confused.

He was looking at her critically. "This form isn't natural to you. I don't think this weapon is natural to you. You've fought before, but with a different weapon."

"A staff." Rey lowered the saber and thumbed it off. "I lost it before Crait."

Windu scanned the barn and his eyes lit on and old pitchfork in the corner of an empty stall. "Go get that pitchfork. Cut of the end. It should be the right height for you."

Rey dutifully obeyed, neatly shearing the tines off and leaving a wooden staff about her height.

"Now fight," the old Jedi commanded.

Rey launched herself into a complex pattern, her instinct taking over. In her mind she saw Unkar Platt, then Snoke, and finally Ben. At Ben, she faltered. Windu noticed, "Channel your anger. Don't embrace it, but use it. Put the Force into every blow. Remember why you want to win, and use that desire to bring power to your movements. You are skirting the Darkness, but never entering it."

Rey's movements became faster, more aggressive. The staff was a a nearly invisible blur in the golden stream of light pouring into the barn.

"Good. Now faster. This form suits you. You are powerful in the Light, but you are drawn to the dark. Learn to walk just on this side of the line. You're life has prepared you for the physical demands of this style, and your natural strength in the Force compensates for having minimal defensive moves."

Euphoria spread across Rey's body. She felt the Force intimately and channeled it into every move. Windu finally commanded her to stop and she halted, breathless. The Jedi nodded approvingly. "Good. Vaapad can never be complete without facing your true opponent though. You take their Darkness and use it to fuel your Light. When you fight Kylo Ren, you can use his own strength in the Force against him."

"Couldn't he do the same to me?" Rey wondered,

Windu nodded. "It's possible. But Vaapad is still considered a Jedi Form, so Snoke was unlikely to teach it to him. I similarly doubt Luke taught it. It's unlikely Yoda even trained him in it."

The Jedi looked down at his saber. "Form VII was the Form I alone mastered among the Jedi. No one else withstood the pull to the Darkness. I think you can, but it will be a risk. Your meditation will follow the path of your fighting. Dance with Darkness, but never let it seduce you."

Rey nodded. She only half-comprehended the technicalities of what he said, but he was describing the conflict within her. She felt drawn to the Dark and the idea of using her primal emotions didn't seem wrong, yet she didn't want to abandon the Light surging in her. Ben was the same, only flipped. He would probably never embrace the Light, but he was drawn to it; to her.

Windu broke her reverie. "We need to get you a proper weapon. My lightsaber is out of the question. You'll never master it in time. You need a weapon that you're already used to. I think a saberstaff might be the best option."

"Saberstaff?" Rey asked.

"A double-ended light saber. Darth Maul killed Qui Gon Jinn with one in the last days of the Republic. The Jedi Temple guards traditionally used a similar weapon. It will allow you to use the moves you always have while giving you a weapon worthy of a Jedi."

Rey met his eyes. "I am not a Jedi."

Windu chuckled, "No, you are not. And I think that is a good thing. Ren is not a Sith, from what I have heard. This is a new form of war between the Light and the Dark. The line between them is not so clear this time. I believed in the Jedi Order, but the truth is we failed. _I_ failed. We were too dogmatic, too proud. Perhaps with a gentler hand we could prevented Palpatine's rise."

He turned toward the door and gazed at the fields. "For now, our primary concern is getting you a weapon that can best a Supreme Leader in combat."

"We have no Kyber crystals," Rey said. "The one from Master Luke's saber is broken."

Windu nodded. "It's better that way. A Jedi's – even a Sith's – weapon is an extension of himself. The crystal bonds with its owner's Force. You could never have used Luke's crystal to make a weapon that was truly yours."

"But where will we get one? Ilum is nearly devoid of them, and I'm sure the First Order is carefully guarding it. Even if we can find one in the underground markets, how could we afford one?" Rey looked perplexed, lines of worry drawn on her face.

"Patience, padawan," the Jedi reached under his cloak and drug out an object on a leather thong. A pure crystal dangled from the edge, refracting the afternoon light into rainbows that danced around the old barn. "Is that..." Rey could hardly dare to hope.

"Yes. It's a Kyber crystal. Many of the Jedi made a habit of keeping one with them at all times. In those days it was more of a talisman, but now I'm glad I followed suit. We'll still need parts but the construction of a saber is exquisitely simple and elegant. It's the crystal that is hard to get." He drew the leather cord over his head and dropped the crystal in Rey's outstretched palm.

"It's not changing color." She gave it a shake and closed her palm over it, as if a slight of hand could alter its state. Windu smiled, "Building a lightsaber is extremely personal. You must do it yourself with little guidance during the actual process. When you create your saber, you'll form the connection that decides its color."

"Alright," Rey nodded. "What about parts though? Can you get them on Kintoni?"

"I already sent Connix into the city. She's the least likely to draw unwanted attention."

"Did someone say my name?" As if summoned, Kaydel strode through the door, a small sack bumped and jangled in her hand. "I've brought what you asked for. A man in town was able to craft the few parts I couldn't find. It's all high quality stuff, if a bit scuffed." She handed the sack to Windu.

Dumping the contents unceremoniously onto the ground, Windu knelt and inspected each one. The pieces were primarily silver, scuffed as Kaydel had said, but sturdy and well made. The emitter matrix was new and he quietly nodded approval. Pieces of the hand guard were a satiny black, polished to a dull shine

For the rest of the day, he instructed Rey on the principle of building a saber. She had no formal education, but was a quick learner. Her mind seemed unusually adept at understanding how things worked, a skill he'd observed in Anakin as a child. Members of the crew drifted in and out, first Finn, then Poe, who they eventually kicked out for asking too many questions, and finally Leia, who simply sat and watched. Rey wondered what she was thinking. This weapon was being constructed to fight her son. Both still wanted to save him, and after last night Rey's hopes were rekindled, but she had learned the hard way to prepare to resist him. If Ben Solo could be turned, she would try, but maybe he really was Kylo Ren, and Kylo Ren would never give up his power for her.

That night Rey lay on the edge of the nearest field, eyes on the stars. They weren't as bright or numerous as Jakku, but the smells that surrounded her were overwhelming. The weak sweetness of clover and the wheat, the sharper smell of some strange plant she didn't know. Somehow it mixed pleasingly with the smell of animal dung reaching her from some invisible pasture. The night air was clear and invigorating, neither depressingly dry or oppressively humid. She heard the grass rustle and Finn lay down beside her.

"Hey, Finn," She greeted him without turning her head.

"I'm worried about you, Rey," He dove in without preamble.

Rey still looked up at the stars. "I know. That's why you're a good friend."

"What if you can't beat Kylo? He's stronger, older, better trained. I know you can take care of yourself, Rey, but this is a war, not Jakku." Finn's voice was pleading, even cajoling.

Rey finally met his eyes. "Finn, what do you want me to do? Run away? You know I won't. I feel like I'm finally where I'm meant to be. Maybe you're right. Maybe Ben – Kylo – will kill me. But if I run now I'll be just like Luke or Windu and I know I'll regret it forever."

Finn dropped his gaze. "I know. But I'm still worried. Can you even build a lightsaber?"

"Saberstaff," she corrected. "I think I can. In fact..." She sat up, feeling inspired. Without a word she stood and strode to the barn, Finn scrambling to keep up. Rey snatched up the sack and mounted a ladder to the low loft that nestled in the rafters.

"Rey," Finn said, "It's dark. How are you going to see?"

"I won't." She sat cross-legged, as she had in the smuggling hatch only a few days ago, but this time she reached out with the Force as much as her hands. She sensed each peace, felt the symmetry of their fit. Reverently she removed the Kyber crystal from around her neck and placed it on the wooden boards in front of her. Finn tried to speak to her a few times, but Rey was clearly lost in her own thoughts. Nothing existed to her outside of the Force and her saber. Finn eventually went back to the _Falcon_. Rey had simply sat for an hour, not moving herself or the saber parts. _Meditating_ , he supposed.

Rey remained the same for another hour after he'd left, only vaguely aware that he was gone. Then the parts slowly lifted and arranged themselves in the air in front of her. They danced around each other, fitting together perfectly. Windu had told her the importance of orienting the emitter matrix correctly, but she would have felt the right way anyway. At last, the only remaining piece was the crystal. As the morning sun sent it's first piercing rays over the horizon to light on Rey's face, she mentally guided the crystal to it's resting place and finished her weapon. She opened her eyes, only now realizing they'd been shut all night and she'd guided everything through the Force.

"Amazing."

She looked up to meet Ben's soft brown eyes. He repeated what he'd said, looking at her. "Amazing."

"You shouldn't be here," she said, but there was no strength behind her words.

Ben examined her creation and nodded. "A saberstaff. Your master chose the perfect weapon for you. Have you ignited it yet?"

"No." Rey became strangely self-conscious. The saber was now an extension of herself. Would it be blue, like Luke's? Or, Force forbid, blood red like Ben's? Maybe, her heart leaped a little at the thought, violet like Windu's. Ben sensed her hesitation and chuckled. "You know I'm the last person to care what color it is. I'm expecting blue, but I'll be overjoyed if it's red."

Rey carefully picked the staff up. The handle itself was a little more than twice as long as a lightsaber grip. It had more room for maneuverability and to brace against her body without injuring herself. The worn silver was embellished with burnished black parts that gave it an elegant and deadly look. She stood and took the opening stance of Vaapad that Windu had taught her. Feet wide, off hand to her side, the staff brandished above her head, already prepared to strike.

Recognition flashed across Ben's face. _So he knows Form VII_ , she thought. It was too late now. Maybe it was better if she knew that he knew and didn't go into a fight unprepared for his response. _Here goes nothing, or maybe everything_. Rey met Ben's eyes and thumbed the saberstaff on. She heard the hum over her head and saw Ben's face go slack in amazement and disbelief. She didn't look up. She was afraid of what she'd see.


	6. Chapter 6

Ben Solo had been having a bad day. Kylo Ren would have enjoyed it, would have embraced Hux's plans and ran with them, but Ben was not Kylo. Starkiller and Han's death had begun to tear away the mask that was Kylo, and Rey had nearly ripped it from him. He still harbored deep anger for his father and Luke, but he'd accepted the fact that their deaths had not completed his transition to the Dark. Ben Solo was not a man hell bent on revenge, but neither was he at peace. The First Order was his and he still craved the power. He merely had to find a way to bend it to a more productive path. That was very hard to do when General Hux was clamoring for Rey's head.

He'd sold them the idea of her murdering Snoke. Maybe they didn't really believe it, but he couldn't say he'd done it. There would be outright mutiny. He couldn't even command Hux to back off without incurring extreme suspicion. And now that Hux had found her location, he would have to act fast to warn Rey without alerting Hux that anything was out of the ordinary. After the briefing, he strode quickly to his rooms. A large part of him wanted to destroy something, anything, but he had no time. He had to connect to Rey. He'd done it intentionally as she slept a few nights ago, but her defenses had been completely down. There was no guarantee it would be the same now.

He sat on the edge of his bed and closed his eyes, reaching out for her. To his surprise, he felt her immediately, as if she was in the next room. She felt peaceful, yet driven. He opened his eyes and she was there. Cross-legged as usual and serenity written on her face. She was oblivious to him and he realized there were objects floating before her. _She's constructing a lightsaber_ , he thought, his own excitement rising. He observed the handle and changed his conclusion. _A saberstaff. That must have been Windu's idea._ He approved. It was perfect for Rey and echoed both the Sith and the Jedi.

Light from whatever world she was on struck her face as she finished her weapon and she opened her eyes. She didn't sense him at first, still absorbed in the Force and admiring her handiwork. "Amazing," he said, and her soft eyes rose to meet his.

"You shouldn't be here."

He felt no resolution in her words so he simply repeated what was in his heart. "Amazing." After what felt like years he wrenched his eyes from hers and looked at the weapon. "A saberstaff. Your master chose the perfect weapon for you. Have you ignited it yet?"

She shook her head. 'No." He noticed her hesitation and realized its source. She was afraid of what it would reveal about her. She was afraid it would display the inner Darkness that wove through her Light. He scoffed. "You know I'm the last person to care what color it is. I'm expecting blue, but I'll be overjoyed if it's red."

He really did expect blue. Rey wasn't cut out to be a Jedi, but she sure as hell wasn't a Sith. Her draw to the Light was far more powerful than the Dark.

She stood, taking a stance he recognized with some surprise. Vaapad. Form VII. A Jedi Form that Darth Sidious had declared to be more Sith than Jedi. He wasn't trained in it, but he understood the principle and realized why Windu had chosen to teach it to her. He smiled internally. It was perfect for her.

Rey met his eyes as she ignited the dual blades.

For a moment he couldn't believe what he saw.

This was unheard of. Impossible.

He stood and came to Rey, standing before her and gazing in awe at her blade, then her.

One blade shown with a piercing white light, so pure it illuminated every corner of the barn. The other... black. Such a deep black that he saw nothing when he looked at it. Force and energy crackled at its edges but it seemed to draw light in and absorb it. The white blade endlessly poured forth light, and the black blade eternally devoured it. Dual blades. Dual nature.

Still Rey held the blade high. He could sense her fear. "Rey," he said gently, "Look. It's beautiful."

She slowly lowered the staff between them and gasped. "Is that – Is that even possible?"

"Apparently," he smiled. "It's certainly a first but Kyber crystals are semi-sentient. We don't know everything about them, or the Force, for that matter."

She stared wordlessly at the dual blades, unsure what to think. Ben carefully reached out to her, cautious of the humming staff. "Rey, can't you see what this is? The Jedi were wrong, the Sith were wrong, Light and Dark can exist together. This is balance."

She didn't respond for a time, but didn't shrug off his touch. Finally she nodded. "It feels...right. I'm sure the crystal didn't misread me. I feel drawn to both and nothing in me says that it's wrong to feel that way."

She switched the staff off and let it fall to her side. "Ben..."

He looked at her with a question in his eyes.

"I don't want to fight you."

He reached for her and crushed her to his chest. "And I don't want to fight you."

"But the First Order," she said.

 _Kriff. The First Order. Hux. The reason he'd searched for her across the galaxy._ "Rey. You need to get out of here. Hux knows where you are. I can't stop him without jeopardizing my position in the Order. Tell my mother I don't want to hunt down her precious Resistance. Tell Windu I don't want to kill his Padawan. Go to Naboo. I'll find you."

Before Rey could respond he withdrew, untangling his mind and body from hers and feeling her absence like a hollow ache in his gut. The First Order was his, but his vision for it was not Snoke's. The beginnings of a plan took root in his mind.

Rey nearly tumbled forward as the solid wall of his body faded. She wasn't sure what to think of Ben's last words, but she believed his warning. She vaulted from the loft and sprinted out the door. The _Falcon_ was a quarter mile away, hidden in one of the few groves that grew near the barn. Along the way she saw Kaydel and Poe walking toward her. "Get on the ship!" She yelled. "The First Order is coming."

They didn't question her and both sprinted soundlessly toward the _Falcon_. Poe quickly out-raced them and bolted to the cockpit, yelling for Chewie to get his furry ass in and copilot. Rey did a quick headcount when they got on board. Thank the Force, everyone was here. "Hux knows we're here. Ben warned me."

"Ben?" Leia asked. "He's not chasing you down this time?"

"He never was," Rey confessed. "He has a message for you and Windu but he said he can't call off Hux. We need to get out of here before the First order arrives."

Kaydel gave a grimace. "Well, the ol' run and hide has become rather familiar. This place was nice though." The _Falcon_ jerked as it lifted off the ground and sped toward to outer atmosphere.

"Where should I go?" Poe yelled from the cockpit.

"Naboo," Rey said, then realized who had told her to go there.

Windu raised an eyebrow. "Naboo? As in Naboo where Vader wed Senator Amidala?"

Rey nodded. "Ben said to go there."

Finn scoffed angrily. "So Kylo Ren tells you to up and go to the planet where his granddad got married and you do it? Rey, have you lost it?"

She wasn't sure. Maybe she had. But Ben had never lied to her. _Hell, Kylo never even lied to me_. She met Leia's eyes, the Windu's. "Do you trust me? Because I trust him."

Leia took a deep breath. She nodded. "Force forgive me if I'm wrong but I believe in you Rey."

Windu looked exasperated but resigned. "I hope you're right. Set course for Naboo!" He bellowed to Poe.

Moments later the ship jolted into hyperdrive. Rey went to her bunk. She needed to think. Finn was angry, Kaydel was doubtful, and Leia's and Windu's trust made her uneasy. What of she was wrong? She'd put all their lives into Ben's hands and she still didn't know if he could be believed. Ben was good, but Kylo was volatile and Kylo was still a part of him, even with the mask gone. She sighed and sank into her bed, feeling the hard press of the saberstaff at her hip. Her dual nature was not a threat, she felt sure. But Ben's might be. His conflict was far greater than hers. The decision had been made, though. Time would tell if Ben Solo had saved them, or if Kylo Ren had trapped them.


End file.
